A Weekend of Ribbons for SWVHJA Riders

The four riders included Ellie Johnson '20 and her horse Be Dazzled, Jolie Crisson '21 and Chatham Hall's Sandro, Sarah Matejko '21 and her horse Perpetua, as well as Annabele Whitehead '22 and her horse Imperio. The girls had a successful weekend in a variety of classes throughout the three days of competition. To kick off the weekend, Matejko grabbed a third in the Schooling Hunter Under Saddle, while Johnson was sixth. Whitehead finished third with a trip in the very competitive Low Hunter division in the coliseum. On Friday evening, Johnson competed in the Hunter Hack, finishing fourth out of 21, while Whitehead snagged the win in the Handy Hunter out of 49 total entries to finish out the night.

On Saturday, Crisson competed in the jumper ring with Sandro, grabbing two blues, and a second and fourth in the Low Jumpers and Novice Child Adult Jumpers. In the East Complex, Matejko was sixth in the first round of the Special Children's Hunter. Also in the Special Children's, Johnson placed first and second over fences. In addition, she also finished sixth in a very competitive 15-17 Equitation Flat Class. Whitehead started off her morning with an impressive win in the gymnastics phase of the Oak Ridge Medal Final. She then went on to grab two sixth-place finishes in the Children’s Hunters in the Coliseum, and a second in the 12-14 Equitation on the Flat. On Sunday, Whitehead started us off with a second in the Oak Ridge Medal Final Flat phase, and then Johnson went on to an eighth-place finish in the Junior Flat Equitation Championship. Whitehead finished out the Oak Ridge Medal Final with a third in the Final Fences phase and overall tied for first, with the tiebreaker earning her Reserve Champion honors. Matejko finished out her day with a second in the Special Children's Under Saddle. Johnson was fifth in the Under Saddle portion of the Special Children's, second in the last over fences round earning her Reserve Champion Honors in the division. Crisson, riding Sandro, had several more successful rounds in the jumper ring earning them a third and two fourths in the Novice and Low Jumpers respectively. 

Overall, the weekend was a great success for all with lots of good ribbons and learning moments throughout. The IEA team will travel this weekend to Hollins University for the last show before Thanksgiving break.